Don't want to see ads? Sign up...





Species icon
Chucao Tapaculo

Scelorchilus rubecula
(Kittlitz, FH, 1830)
Chucao

Family: Rhinocryptidae
Order: Passeriformes
Class: Aves
Phylum / Division: Chordata
Kingdom: Animalia

 Request change
Filters

Records from Villa La Angostura

Conservation Status according to BirdLife International: Least Concern

Synonyms: Pteroptochos rubecula.

Subspecies:


Description: Black beak and brown iris, with a general olive-brown coloration, featuring a striking reddish bib covering the neck and throat, a thin eyebrow of the same color passing behind the eyes and extending to a small portion above the beak. It has a fine white barring on the chest and a barely marked periocular of the same color.

Sexual Dimorphism: Same sexes.

Habitat: Inhabits dense vegetation in the humid forests of the south.

Behavior: Curious, active, it is common to see it running through the fallen leaves and branches of the forest at high speed, making it hard to spot, but if one stays still and silent, it is very likely to approach to investigate, where it becomes easier to observe. When it perches on a low branch, it does so with its tail erect.

Song: A powerful scream, heard from a great distance, which it repeats at intervals possibly to communicate with others. Whenever one screams, another can be heard responding from afar (Kovacs, 2005). The name “Chucao” is onomatopoeic, derived from the territorial cry it emits (Costa et al., 2012).

Nesting: Nests in holes that it digs itself in white soil ravines, where it lays a maximum of three white eggs.

Feeding: Feeds on small invertebrates that it searches for by scratching the soil and leaf litter of the forest with its feet.

Authors of this description: Diego Oscar

 See related literature




Loading map...




Last published photographs

Foto
Photography ID: 252764
  Adult

Villa La Angostura
Neuquén
Argentina
03/01/2018
Diego Carus
Foto
Photography ID: 192949
  Adult

Villa La Angostura
Neuquén
Argentina
02/20/2017
Diego Carus
Foto
Photography ID: 27898
  Adult

Villa La Angostura
Neuquén
Argentina
09/30/2013
Eduardo Di Fiore



 View all photographs of the species




 Add a photography of this species





Last Vocalizations published



Audio playerUserDateCountryProvincePlaceSexLife stageIt was observedDetails
Julián Tocce02/26/2024ArgentinaNeuquénSenda en Cerro BayoVilla La AngosturaN/AAdultYesNo
Hugo Caverzasi03/11/2018ArgentinaNeuquénReserva Municipal Laguna VerdeVilla La AngosturaN/AN/AYesNo
Federico Andrés De Maio01/15/2015ArgentinaNeuquénPuerto ManzanoVilla La AngosturaN/AAdultYesNo



 See all the audios of the species




 Add an audio of this species





Last Filmings published




 Add a film of this species





 Reports


 Detail of places sorted by number of records








Page 1
Record IDDateExact timeCountryProvince / departmentPlaceFilmedPhotographedRecorded vocalObservedHeardWounded or deadNumber of individualsUser or BibliographyDetail
199526926/02/2024ArgentinaNeuquénSenda en Cerro Bayo, Villa La Angostura3Julián Tocce
178044619/06/2023ArgentinaNeuquénCamino viejo al Lago Espejo, Villa La AngosturaNicolas Olejnik
166436607/10/2022ArgentinaNeuquénVilla La AngosturaHernán Tolosa
166435305/10/2022ArgentinaNeuquénSelva triste-laguna verde, Villa La AngosturaHernán Tolosa
106938222/02/2019ArgentinaNeuquénVilla La Angostura3Julian Quillen Vidoz
85322903/12/2018ArgentinaNeuquénVilla La AngosturaNicolas Olejnik
71540011/03/2018ArgentinaNeuquénReserva Municipal Laguna Verde, Villa La AngosturaHugo Caverzasi
91424401/03/2018ArgentinaNeuquénCascada Nivinco, Villa La AngosturaMaria Belén Dri
71174601/03/2018ArgentinaNeuquénCascada Nivinco, Villa La AngosturaGonzalo Diaz
71074401/03/2018ArgentinaNeuquénCascada Nivinco, Villa La AngosturaDiego Carus
Page 1

 Add a record of this species




Bibliography related


Artículo Costa M., R. Moller Jensen Y Otros. 2011. Proyecto Freebirds Guía de las Aves. <http://www.freebirds.com.ar>.

Artículo Kovacs, C. J., O. Kovacs, Z. Kovacs, C. M. Kovacs. 2005. Manual ilustrado de las aves de la Patagonia: Antártida Argentina e Islas del Atlántico Sur. Carlos Kovacs; Ors Kovacs; Zsolt Kovacs – 1ed – El Bolsón, 368 págs.



Citation recommended:

EcoRegistros. 2026. Chucao Tapaculo (Scelorchilus rubecula) - Species sheet. Acceded from https://www.ecoregistros.org on 10/03/2026.